This invention pertains to the field of seafood processing and more specifically concerns the processing of fresh shrimp into frozen shrimp preliminary to commercial distribution. The consumption of shrimp as a food item is such that the supply of ocean caught shrimp or wild shrimp is supplemented by extensive shrimp farming operations. Because the environment and feeding of cultivated shrimp can be controlled, farm grown shrimp offer a number of advantages over ocean caught shrimp. For example, cultivated shrimp are less prone to contamination with microorganisms harmful to humans who consume the shrimp, since such organisms can be filtered from the pond water in which the shrimp are grown, and eliminated from the feed provided to the shrimp. This facilitates the subsequent processing of the shrimp which do not require the more careful washing and handling required by wild shrimp. A further advantage of cultivated shrimp is that each batch can be raised to a particular size which will be substantially uniformed for nearly all shrimp in the batch at harvesting.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of seafood processing preliminary to commercial distribution and more particularly discloses a process for assembling and packaging smaller shrimp so as to simulate frozen larger shrimp.
2. State of the Prior Art
Shrimp is a popular food item in the United States and throughout the world. The commercial supply of shrimp includes ocean shrimp fished from seas around the globe and cultivated shrimp harvested by extensive shrimp farming operations in many countries. Shrimp are commercially available in a wide range of sizes, graded by the number of shrimp required to make up one pound of weight, from 500 count for the smallest commercially useful shrimp up to about one pound shrimp for fully grown tropical specimens. At the small end of the range, the shrimp are tiny and not appropriate nor satisfying as individual morsels. Fully mature shrimp on the other hand, while visually satisfying on a plate, tend to be tough in texture. Shrimp sizes between 150 count to about 30 count are most commonly sold for consumption in restaurants and fast food outlets, establishments which serve shrimp in large quantities, typically as deep fried shrimp. So called jumbo shrimp, often sold at a premium price, are about 16-25 count.
The average consumer has a preference for larger shrimp over smaller shrimp. This preference, however, cannot always be accommodated by the available supply of shrimp. This is particularly true of ocean caught shrimp, over which little control is possible in terms of the size of the individual specimens. The supply of larger size shrimp, in the range of 75 count to 30 count is currently limited due to a widespread infection which has destroyed much of the shrimp stock under cultivation in the People's Republic of China, a major supplier of cultivated shrimp, forcing greater reliance upon ocean caught shrimp. Ocean shrimp cannot be harvested at a particular size and consequently the catch includes a considerable supply of relatively small shrimp, and less than desired of the larger sizes.
What is needed, is a method by which the smaller, readily available shrimp can be used to simulate the larger more desirable shrimp.
Fresh shrimp, both ocean caught and cultivated, are first processed by so called "packers", who grade and segregate shrimp according to size, and dehead the shrimp, i.e. cut off the head and the lower appendages including the legs and swimerettes, leaving the shrimp in its shell with the tail attached. The graded shrimp are then preserved by freezing in blocks of ice. This so called block shrimp is then sold to distributors who further process the shrimp for sale to markets, restaurants and fast food outlets.